DSOA to host 2nd Innovation 4 Impact pitch competition

Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) has announced the second edition of its competition for Islamic digital economy entrepreneurs.

The second edition of the Innovation 4 Impact Competition will be held during the Global Islamic Economy Summit 2016 (GIES 2016), which is due to take place in Dubai, from October 11-12.

The Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) and Thomson Reuters launched the Innovation 4 Impact competition last year with the support of the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre (DIEDC).

Managed and hosted in collaboration with the American Muslim Consumer Consortium, this year’s Innovation 4 Impact Competition is open to any start-up, business venture, and digital entrepreneur of all faiths.

Only business ventures which have an economic and social impact on the Islamic digital economy will be considered.

The businesses should belong to one of the following sectors: e-commerce, mobile computing, cloud computing, big data, hyper-converged platforms, new media and social media.

Application submissions will close on August 15, 2016, and selected applicants will be notified by the second week of September 2016.

Selected applicants will also receive coaching and feedback from investors and experts in the entrepreneurial community throughout the process.

They will pitch their businesses to a renowned panel of judges and a professional audience on the first day GIES on October 11 and the winner will be announced on the closing day of the Summit on October 12.

The winner of the competition will also receive free office space for one year at the Dubai Technology Entrepreneur Centre, DSOA’s technology incubation center.

In 2015, the Innovation 4 Impact received 170 applicants from over 35 countries. Five entrepreneurs received the opportunity to attend and present their ideas at GIES 2015, while also gaining global media coverage, and benefiting from their participation in the sessions that helped them continue to grow and scale-up even after the Summit.

Speaking about the second edition of the Innovation 4 Impact, Abdulla Mohammed Al Awar, CEO of the Dubai Islamic Economy Development Centre, said: “It is our privilege to support this competition for the second consecutive year. The digital infrastructure is an important pillar of positioning Dubai as the capital of Islamic economy and this competition stands as a platform for digital economy entrepreneurs.

“We believe that digital economy is an important driver of innovation, competitiveness, and growth. The Innovation 4 Impact competition is aligned with our aim of creating a generation of leading experts who are capable of accelerating the growth of digital Islamic economy.”

For further information on the Innovation 4 Impact Competition and details on participation, please visit www.innovation4impact.com.